After Russian drone attacks on Polish territory, the European Union began discussing the creation of a "drone wall" that would protect EU countries from further Russian attacks. What is the essence of this project, what is its cost, and what role is envisioned for Ukraine – we tell you in the UNN material.
"Drone wall" to protect Europe and Ukraine
Andriy Yermak, Head of the President's Office, previously reported that this week the EU will hold talks on creating a "drone wall" along the eastern border to protect against Russian attacks. Ukraine is also expected to join this project.
The Head of the Presidential Office also added that since World War II and the Cold War, the principles of warfare have changed significantly. In recent years, drones have played a key role, and therefore armies need to change as well, focusing on AI, which will be integrated into UAVs, both attack and anti-aircraft.
Euronews notes that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her address to Congress on September 10, stated that Europe "must heed the call" of the Baltic countries "to build a drone wall."
This is not an abstract ambition, it is the foundation of a robust defense
Also, EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Reuters last week that he plans to convene EU defense ministers for talks on creating a "drone wall" along the EU's eastern border after Russian drones were shot down over Polish airspace.
The publication notes that von der Leyen and Kubilius, in their speeches, were referring to the Baltic Drone Wall. This is a joint project of Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to strengthen the eastern border of the EU and NATO.
The Financial Times writes that the EU will also create a "drone alliance" with Kyiv, backed by six billion euros in funding, to "turn Ukrainian ingenuity into a battlefield advantage and shared industrialization."
Europe's defense posture is too fragmented, but it is in this area that we really need to see much more coordination. It cannot be that one frontline state does one thing on its border, and another does something else. Russia simply adapts its approach to our weaknesses.
According to him, members of NATO's eastern flank will receive almost 100 billion euros in defense-related loans out of a total of 150 billion euros raised for the common EU budget. The "Security Action for Europe" program loans "will help" with the "drone wall" initiative. If member states want to have a common approach to protecting the EU," said Commission spokesman Thomas Renier on Tuesday.
According to the Financial Times, Daniela Hildenbrand, head of counter-drone solutions at German defense contractor Hensoldt, said the region is becoming "a bit more creative in contractual arrangements to provide a common protective shield for Europe and NATO."
This means exploring how member states can have multinational structures or help each other with capabilities
What is known about the "drone wall"
At the core of the "drone wall" project is a "multi-layered drone defense system" called Eirshield, an anti-drone platform developed through a joint partnership between Estonian company DefSecIntel and Latvian Origin Robotics.
According to CEO Jaanus Tamm, the system will use radars, cameras, radio frequency detectors, drone direction, and its threat level to decide whether to jam or block the enemy drone's signal, or whether to hit it with another drone.
Agris Kipurs, co-founder and CEO of Origin Robots, noted that the system is "fully automatic," making strikes possible with artificial intelligence (AI), so "no pilot is needed," meaning everything from drone detection to interception is automated.
Eirshield is designed to combat "fast-flying unmanned" targets carrying warheads that can fly at speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour, Kipurs said. He also added that the system will have some portable parts.
The system can be equipped with several types of drones, including those already developed by DefSecIntel, which, according to Tamm, is key to responding to the capabilities of different types of drones.
The cost of using the Eirshield system is "tens of thousands" of euros, Kipurs said, compared to "several millions" used by older, conventional air strike systems.
What is Ukraine's role?
The Financial Times writes that Ukraine has been innovating in air defense since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. While Kyiv relies on Western partners for air defense systems to shoot down missiles, it is pioneering cost-effective ways to combat Russian attack drones.
Since standard radar could not detect small, low-flying Shahed-type attack drones, Ukrainian technology companies developed a nationwide system of acoustic sensors that could identify them by their sound signature. This intelligence is then transmitted to hundreds of mobile groups equipped with anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns – a much cheaper solution than using missile interceptors.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week offered Poland training in combating Russian drones, including Iranian-made Shaheds. The Warsaw Ministry of Defense stated that "in-depth negotiations are currently underway between specialists from both countries on deepening cooperation in the field of drones and anti-drone systems."
Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa told the Financial Times that the Baltic country is following Ukraine's practice of using mobile combat groups to shoot down drones detected by an acoustic detection system.